sandy capps

About 18K miles ago my engine lite came on and the code (P0741) for torque converter failure was diagnosed.
Of course the car runs great and has none of the tell tale signs of transmission issues. We have gone out west twice with it through the mountains and nothing fails. We can cruise easily at 90 mph all day long.
If I clear the code it returns within 20 miles or so.
What's the deal? Any one know?
I have 141K miles on my avant wagon (with the rear facing third row) and I love this car.
Any input would be nice.....
Thanks

seishuku

The failure only affects torque converter lockup, everything will still work just fine... Though MPG may suffer a bit from the converter not being able to lock.

georgeb944

My 2001 A6 2.7TT Tiptronic has had the same failure since 140K miles, now has 280K miles. A slight loss in mpg and a CEL are the only problems. If you have VCDS, you can reset the CEL without resetting the readiness monitors, useful for complying with state inspection laws (Ask me how I know.)

clancy

Not real obvious if it has failed. With your foot still on the gas pedal but not accelerating, holding steady speed on a flat road, note the RPMs. Then take your foot off the pedal. Does the engine speed drop a few hundred RPMs? Or, coast for a few seconds, note your RPMs, then lightly accelerate. Do the RPMs quickly rise a few hundred, then level off?

Like georgeb944 mine has been tripping the CEL with this P0741 for 100,000 miles. The lock up works sporadically, mostly when the car and trans are cold. There is a seal in the torque converter than has failed. Does not hold pressure and thereby the lock up does not hold. You can R&R the trans and torque converter for a few thousand $ or just ignore and you will likely be okay. I have been content to just change the trans fluid every 30,000 miles and wait to see if the trans fails completely. Just not worth the time and expense for the minor loss of fuel mileage.